Having just got back from a great 'Bum in the mud' rally I can't understand why so many bikers never go to rallies. I am really looking forward to this years KISS and they are the place to go to have a good time and make new pals. I admit the camping can be a bit of a turn off for some; contact XJ on this site for camping tips. Everyone is welcome and it doesn't seem to matter if you wear a denim cut off or prefer a kilt or dinner jacket...
If you really want to meet people and have a great time, sign up for a rally.
ive been rallying for about 28yrs and i love it.i cant wait for the rally season to start each year.unfortunatley these days i get really cold so my winter rallies have been stopped but i still rally from begining of may to about october.i think its the best place to meet the best peeps
Trying to balance work which is 12 hour shifts days and nights, , marriage, keeping Mrs AJ happy, 5 kids, and biking/fishing - it's a never nding challenge. So I get out when I can. !
Never been to a rally in my life. Never had the time with the wife and kids to provide for ... and the farm to run
And now at 53?...... No wife, kids grown up.... spending the weekend in a tent, in a field is ok but not being a drinker and having little in common with the average biker, I would be bored
Apart from that I'm a miserable old fucker
Kiss would have been the first... A rally virgin... but.....
.... I'm going farming in the lakes instead
To answer the question, because I would rather do something else like tour or a track day or listen to a band in the comfory of a pub and retire to my own bed. Not everyone wants to get drunk in a field. Motorcycling activities need not be confined to rallies so each to their own.
my first rally on my own bike was back in 82 (omg im old ) id just got a cb 25o rs i took a sleeping bag a tent and a tooth brush got very drunk lol and i little bit high (i was only 17 snigger ) the band sat night (only had a band sat night ) was budge i was hooked been to lots of rallies and festivals and there has been good and bad and some time when i get home Sunday or Monday i do think im getting to old for this shit but yet again i have started to book for this year snigger
i love it i love the camping i love the music(that we can have really loud coz we can) i love the people,the bikes,the freedom of getting away for the weekend.its just awsomeness in itself.and you get to meet the best people at rallies i dont do track days as it just doesnt float me boat.i love riding trials bikes and as not all rallies are just in the middle of a field theres pubs and places to eat etc thrown in its mint
Did the rallies to death in the late 80's all through 90's, first one was 85 , I was 15 and borrowed mates RD to go - naughty, brilliant fun they were too, kind of lost interest throughout 2000-2010 except the odd one or two but attended a few last year and you really can't beat a good rally
Must admit that KISS will only be my 3rd. (Did Farmyard last year and ITtV a couple of years before that.) It's not the camping that puts me off, did loads with Scouts as a youngster and also before kids and when kids were young; and I like to think I'm pretty good at it. It's just that I'd rather spend my bike time riding/touring with plenty of social stops, than sitting in a field all weekend getting pissed on bad beer and listening to someone else's choice of badly played music. I'm hoping KISS will be different?
Done loads of rally's but now... Still like the camping and the general event But.... Sick of " let's pretend" bands. I like to hear original stuff not some pathetic impersonation act!
I do go to rallies, been going to them since I were a wee lassie of 16, just haven't been to one in a wee while (couple years now) Love the music, the bikes, the noise, the chaos, the stalls, the beer tents (woohoo) the people and the whole atmosphere
However I love my home comforts now and after all the partying ends I have to retire to a proper bed in a BnB....cannot stick camping anymore but kudos to those who do
And as someone else said biking is not all about rallies BUT it is fun
I've only been to a Couple of Bike Rallies and they were great fun (KISS being one), the main reason I don't go is that I work weekends!
I can't say that I like the Tent side of it though as my Battered and abused body needs a little more comfort nowadays, hence the reason I usually take my van to sleep in when I go away and roll the bike out of the back and ride for hours!
Just prefer to be on the move ,going from place to place on the open roads, surrounded by vast open landscapes free from congestion and the stresses of everyday life. The thought of being stuck in one place for a couple of days with masses of people and noise , getting hammered ,is not something I'd fancy theses days. Maybe a few years ago when I used to drink a lot more, but not now. In saying that , I'd like to make it to the TT someday, but that to me is different .(apart from the masses of people and noise lol)